We are pleased to re-introduce our weekly list of albums, now rebranded #MustListen, that we recommend for a deeper dive. Each week, we will review the list of recently released LPs (not singles), including EPs, mixtapes and soundtracks from soul, funk, hip-hop, R&B, dance, reggae, jazz and more along with albums and projects that are sent to us each week. In certain cases, we may include records that were previously overlooked but, for the most part, they will have been released within the past week or two.

The Process

The process is simple: we spend a few minutes with each option to get a sense of the production, content and overall feel. This is NOT a full review but more of a “needle drop” for a quick assessment. We then rank those LPs and present the top 10 along with a list of honorable mentions that may not have made the cut but may deserve a listen. This list represents our ranking in order of anticipation based on the initial quick review. Our goal is to help soulheads Worldwide break through the clutter of all the music that is being released and focus on the cream of the crop. Each week, we are sure to miss some albums so please let us know if there are projects we missed and we will include them in future weeks.

This Week

We are very excited about the list which includes a previously highly anticipated, but shelved, LP by seriously unsung artist, Van Hunt along with a masterful mashup album featuring works by Common and Stevie Wonder by the always impressive Amerigo Gazaway. There are also posthumous projects by hip-hop legends Prodigy (Mobb Deep) and Sean Price (Heltah Skeltah) which have been receiving a lot of talk on the street. We were happy to include the futuristic sounds of BOSCO, Mac Ayers, Skye Verbs and R.LUL.R along with British soul from newcomer Ellis Aaron and the emerging star Shaila Prospere.

Check out the list below and feel free to bookmark this article for easy access to the full streams for each in the top 10 along with links to honorable mentions. Throughout the week, we will be providing compact capsule reviews of the music throughout our social media platforms including our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram outlets. Please subscribe to each to stay in the discussion and let us know which albums and tracks you like the most.